Body shop can't paint my hood??!!!

[camaroluvr447]

So I took my new hood to a very reputable body shop and I got a call a week later and they told me on the phone that they painted my hood two times and each time the paint peeled. They told me that the problem is with the fiberglass that the hood is made of. I gave it to the primered. Are they tellin me the truth? I have never heard of fiberglass (or any surfer really) that couldn't be painted with a primer base.

[Hot head]

So I took my new hood to a very reputable body shop and I got a call a week later and they told me on the phone that they painted my hood two times and each time the paint peeled. They told me that the problem is with the fiberglass that the hood is made of. I gave it to the primered. Are they tellin me the truth? I have never heard of fiberglass (or any surfer really) that couldn't be painted with a primer base.

Are you ssaying with or without primer base? Did you give it to them primed? Did you bake it before hand?

[camaroluvr447]

Are you ssaying with or without primer base? Did you give it to them primed? Did you bake it before hand?

I gave it to them with the primer that came with the hood. I did not bake anything and I do not know if it was ever baked.

[Hot head]

I gave it to them with the primer that came with the hood. I did not bake anything and I do not know if it was ever baked.

hmmm they prolly need to re-prime it and bake it because fiberglass is different from metal. The primer was prolly shitty on it there are many different types of primer. Paint wont stick if it wasn't sanded properly.

I need to get more information about this hood.

Now explain to me about this hood.

When you first got it where was it stored?
How long did you have it?
Was it exposed to the elements?

[camaroluvr447]

I had it for several weeks during which I drove around with it on the car in all kinds of weather. The hood cost $300 from a seller on eBay by the name of pershingautobody. It came with a black primer. Did I miss anything?

[Hot head]

I had it for several weeks during which I drove around with it on the car in all kinds of weather. The hood cost $300 from a seller on eBay by the name of pershingautobody. It came with a black primer. Did I miss anything?

It needs to be resanded down or airplane thinnered then reprimed then painted

You can do the airplane thinner yourself just becareful with the smell and it will be bare again and needs to be blocked.


Check of you can airplane thinner fiberglass

[Cutlass]

First we need to know if the hood is Fiberglass or SMC. Chances are good that its SMC. Is it a GM hood or aftermarket?

[camaroluvr447]

It is fiberglass aftermarket. I assume all fiberglass can be painted??

[Hot head]

It is fiberglass aftermarket. I assume all fiberglass can be painted??

Yes to my knowledge. Lambo's and ferrari's are....

[2001camaroSS]

It is fiberglass aftermarket. I assume all fiberglass can be painted??

over half of an fbody is fiberglass. on an SS the hood, fenders, doors, tailgate are all fiberglass and the Z's hood is metal and everything else is the same as the SS.

[gnomee]

Frankly no matter what the problem is, a quality auto body shop should be able to paint it. They don't know what they are doing or don't want to really do it.

I'd just take it somewhere else. There is a big difference between a guy who can sand and shoot a gun from a guy who really knows what he's doing.

[Ls1_385hp_T/A]

Agree with above ^ . A quality shop would know what they were doing and have it painted, ready to install by the time you heard back from them.

[SteveC]

Frankly no matter what the problem is, a quality auto body shop should be able to paint it. They don't know what they are doing or don't want to really do it.

I'd just take it somewhere else. There is a big difference between a guy who can sand and shoot a gun from a guy who really knows what he's doing.

I strongly agree, paint peels due to contaminates on the surface, or not enough adhesion for the paint to stick, ANY SHOP WORTH ITS SALT would know to sand the surface and re primer it before paint.

SteveC

[SSnow]

over half of an fbody is fiberglass. on an SS the hood, fenders, doors, tailgate are all fiberglass and the Z's hood is metal and everything else is the same as the SS.

Wrong on that account. The parts are a plastic composite, not fiberglass.

[whitetrashbird]

The black on the hood is actually a gel coat, not a true primer. I agree with all the above comments, take it somewhere else. Only problem now is that they've shot it twice and whoever paints it is going to have to sand all that off and hopefully not go through the gel coat. Paint lifts due to insufficient or improper prep work. They should have primed and sealed it before putting any paint on it. If the primer and sealer didn't lift than the paint would be fine.

Dan

[indy242003]

The black on the hood is actually a gel coat, not a true primer. I agree with all the above comments, take it somewhere else. Only problem now is that they've shot it twice and whoever paints it is going to have to sand all that off and hopefully not go through the gel coat. Paint lifts due to insufficient or improper prep work. They should have primed and sealed it before putting any paint on it. If the primer and sealer didn't lift than the paint would be fine.

Dan

I'm gonna agree with Dan here for sure. The gel coat on fiberglass is used as a sealing agent and makes it easier to pull from the mold. The gel coat is not sprayed on after the hood is formed. It is spayed in the mold first. Go get your hood now! These guys don't know what they are doing. Prep for painting glass is not a secret art and a well rounded body shop should know how to prep it. Go get it and be glad you did. They just saved you a ton of trouble down the road.

[Cutlass]

over half of an fbody is fiberglass. on an SS the hood, fenders, doors, tailgate are all fiberglass and the Z's hood is metal and everything else is the same as the SS.

Wrong on that account. The parts are a plastic composite, not fiberglass.

Both wrong here the hood and doors are SMC...which is alot like fiberglass but with key differences. you can't do a traditional fiberglass repair on SMC. It won't stick or last. And SMC doesn't have gelcoat like fiberglass does. SMC is either color molded or painted.
I'm no body expert, but I think there are differences on how you are supposed to prep, prime, and paint SMC compared to fiberglass.

I can't remember for sure if the fenders and tailgate are SMC or plastic.

[Cutlass]

It is fiberglass aftermarket. I assume all fiberglass can be painted??

A picture of the underside of the hood should help determine if its fiberglass or SMC.
On fiberglass you can see the fibers (unless its gelcoated on both sides)
SMC is flat and smooth on both sides.

[camaroluvr447]

Okay so I went and picked up the car. When he showed me the work I thought it looked great if he wanted to he could have charged me and I wouldn't have known any better for a while. Then he showed me a few problem areas where there was a small pinhole and right around that pinhole the paint had begun to lift from the hood. He said in a few months this would become noticeable. I asked why it could not be painted properly, he said the fiberglass (it is fiberglass I can see fibers in the air scoop) was not finished from the mold properly. He said his shop spent all day on it and repainted it twice. He said they sanded and blocked it but it just would not stick to the hood. He said it was because it was a cheapo hood. He took me into his house and showed me some panels from his drag car and used them as examples of how a fiberglass panel should look. My untrained eye could see no difference. So he recommended I buy a new hood from a quality manufacturer such as harwood or email him the link to a hood I am interested in so he can check I out. Should I take it to another shop and risk being charged for a bad paint job? Or is this really the hoods fault? FYI this shop I took it to is considered one of the best in the area, he has an excelllent rep for honesty and quality work. I am tempted to believe what he says but I have very little knowledge of auto body work. Thanks for the input guys!!

[Cutlass]

Sounds like he knows what he is doing. Even really good shops can make mistakes or overlook things, so a second look might be a good idea.